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The American Conservative | A distinction without a difference
In December 2021, the American and Iraqi governments announced that U.S. military forces in Iraq had shifted to a "non-combat role"—even though the American military force posture in the country was not substantially changed.
However, less than a month after the supposed shift to a non-combat mission, Americans in Iraq once again found themselves under fire. Suicide drones and rockets were launched against American bases across Iraq over multiple days, including against Al Asad air base, where I spent time as a Marine more than 13 years ago. Thankfully, there were no casualties. Nevertheless, these attacks against American troops in Iraq demonstrated that the declared shift from a combat to a non-combat mission in fact is a distinction without a difference.
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